FFVII Illness Illusion
by Chibiku
Summary: The Turks are back, and famous! They meet two spunk girls, Bayley and Kiera which starts their insane adventure. Strange things are abound and some creepy dominatrix is following them... Rated PG-13 for Language and Violence.
1. An Unexplained Meeting

AN: Mmm, my first fanfic, so bear with me ^_^ I hope you enjoy it :D  
  
-x- Chapter One -x-  
  
People were rushing around, eager to see the so-called celebrities. They took no notice of the dazed teenager amongst them. She looked to be about 16, 17 at the most and had dark purple hair, it looked seemingly unnatural atop her tanned skin and blazing yellow eyes.  
  
A gasp of awe rippled throughout the crowd, but as the girl was short, only 5'6", she couldn't see what had happened. Still wondering why there was such a large crowd, she turned to the left and spotted a young woman. The woman had a warm face, so the girl decided to try her luck, thus she tapped the woman's arm gently to get her attention.  
  
Somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, the woman looked at the young one before responding, "what?"  
  
Slightly shocked by the woman's less than inviting response, the girl hesitated before asking a simple question. "What's going on?"  
  
"What!?" The woman practically yelled. "But you're here! How could you not know?"  
  
The teen merely shrugged. "I've been wandering around for the past while and I guess I just found myself here."  
  
"I assume you've heard of the Turks?" The woman asked, gesturing towards the centre of the crowd.  
  
"Uh, yea. Aren't they those evil, heartless bastards that-" Bayley started, before she was cut off.  
  
"That's how they were , but things are different now that Reeve has become president of ShinRa," the woman spoke as she brushed her honey coloured hair out of her face.  
  
Oh! People don't hate them! Now I don't have to hide the- The teen's train of thought was disrupted as the woman poked her arm.  
  
"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of Bayley's face. "You zoned out for a second there."  
  
Bayley blinked out of her stupor and apologized. "Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes. So why are there so many people here?"  
  
"The Turks agreed to do this promotion, fundraiser thing, so naturally many, many Midgarians showed up just to see the Turks. Speaking of which, I get to have dinner with them tonight! I'm the chosen news reporter.so excited!" The woman nearly squealed.  
  
"Oh my Shiva!" Bayley gasped, her eyes wide in shock. "You are so friggin' lucky."  
  
"Whatever happened to them being evil, heartless bastards?" The reporter smirked, holding back a giggle.  
  
Turning an elegant shade of pink, Bayley grinned sheepishly. "Errr."  
  
She smiled, "I understand. I had to hide the fact that I thought they were cool, everyone was either afraid of them, or hated them back before Meteor."  
  
"Shame." Bayley agreed, shuffling her feet a bit.  
  
"Where's your family? Normally, people don't see teens like you alone, especially in a city like Midgar." The woman spoke; her green eyes were concerned.  
  
Bayley's face suddenly darkened, "I um, I lived in Costa del Sol. That is, before I left. And.yea."  
  
Sensing that the younger girl didn't want to continue, the older woman decided to shy off the subject. "Oh, well you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."  
  
"Thanks." Bayley mumbled, thankful for the woman's quick change of conversation.  
  
"Hey, I didn't catch your name," the woman smiled, holding her hand out.  
  
Bayley took it and replied, "Bayley."  
  
"I'm Kiera, the best reporter in Midgar!" She announced, holding her head high. Her voice was so cocky that it had to have been a joke. She smiled as the other girl laughed and went back to her normal voice. "So, why did you come to Midgar?"  
  
"Not sure, something in the back of my mind directed me and told me where to go. Almost like an outside force was controlling me," she paused, "to an extent."  
  
Kiera cocked her youthful head to the side, "Strange."  
  
"Yes, very." Bayley agreed, her hand on her slim waist. "But it's stopped now, I don't know what it wants me to do next. I don't really know if that's, well, a good thing or not." Why am I telling this to her? She's a complete stranger.  
  
"That is very weird. I sometimes get that feeling, but not strongly enough to change any decisions I've made or anything," replied the other girl; she received no response. Bayley was busy thinking, her eyes looking off at nothing. Brows furrowed, she pursed her lips.  
  
"." Kiera coughed, her head cocked again as she looked at Bayley.  
  
She snapped out of it, her eyes coming to a focus. "Huh? Did I zone out again?" Bayley scowled. "Sorry."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Kiera smiled warmly. "So, do you like one of them?"  
  
"Who, what, huh?" The younger girl narrowed her eyes, a somewhat confused, yet shifty look upon her face.  
  
Kiera put her hands on her slender hips. "Do you like one of the Turks?" She reiterated.  
  
".Uh," Bayley paused. "Maybe."  
  
Kiera grinned rather evilly, but in a whiny voice she asked, her words spoken quickly, as one. "Whowhowho!?"  
  
"Not telling! Hmph," Bayley said as she looked away, seemingly snobby, but hiding a smile.  
  
Kiera whispered something into Bayley's ear inaudibly which resulted in the latter flushing bright pink.  
  
"I was right! " Kiera cackled; her green eyes were shimmering with unchecked happiness. "Man, I haven't laughed so much in days!"  
  
"Neither have I," Bayley agreed. "I'm guessing you're the same?"  
  
Surprised, the older woman blushed. "O-of course not!"  
  
Bayley shrugged, "there's no need to lie." She seemed to be struggling not to break out into laughter but continued. "You know it. I know it. Hell, he probably even knows it, or rather he will after tonight." With that last retort, she winked one yellow eye. Wow, we're getting along so well. This is strange. I wonder, is this supposed to happen? I don't feel any kind of uneasiness when talking to her. Why do I trust her so much, so fast? Weird.  
  
"Aww jeez, you figured me out!" Kiera stuck her tongue out and squinted her eyes in a playful way.  
  
"Of course! I'm psychic!" Bayley declared. She crossed her arms and winked, somewhat resembling Jeannie from I dream of Jeannie .  
  
Kiera scoffed, "Oh yah. Well what am I thinking about right now then?"  
  
"Well, that's obvious," Bayley paused, "RENO!"  
  
The older girl sarcastically gasped, "Of course not."  
  
"Know what I just realized?" Bayley asked after a moment of silence.  
  
"No.what?"  
  
The purple haired girl paused and then continued, "How well we're getting along. I mean, we just met, but it seems like I've known you for aeons!"  
  
"I was thinking about that too, it does seem kind of strange though. Maybe it has to do with that dude in your head telling you what to do?" Kiera considered.  
  
Bayley shrugged, "Maybe.but it's not just some guy saying 'go here, do this,' there isn't any words actually being spoken, more like a sense of yearning. It's hard to explain."  
  
Nodding, Kiera was still confused. "Oh."  
  
A moment of silence passed between to two newfound friends as they contemplated the meaning of all this. The stillness was only broken by an eruption of applause thundering throughout the auditorium.  
  
"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Kiera asked; green eyes concerned.  
  
Shaking her head, Bayley replied with a brisk, "no."  
  
"I'd say you could stay at my hotel tonight, but I have to go to dinner with the Turks," as she spoke, her face became wrinkled with concentration and consideration. "Well, ah! You could come with me! I would, of course, have to pull a few strings, but it would probably work."  
  
Yellow orbs widened with shock and happiness. "Oh Bahamut! Are you serious?" Bayley nearly shrieked in utter delight.  
  
"Of course. Something tells me that this is the right thing to do, so I gotta trust it, and you." Kiera glanced down at her watch, "Aye, we only have 2 hours to get ready. We should probably go to my hotel room now."  
  
Bayley was still in shock; she was beaming. "A-ah okay," she agreed as she snapped out of her stupor. Kiera smiled at her dazed companion and set off through the crowd towards the front door, followed closely by the other.  
  
The girls gave one quick glance back and saw Reno's bright, red hair in the distance. Before their infatuations could conquer them, they rushed out the front doors, beaming.  
  
In the bright sunlight, the girls could now see each other clearly. Bayley was wearing a very travel worn outfit, her black skirt had a rip up the side, as well as around the hem, and on her chest she adorned a black and red bustier. About her neck was a black choker ending in a long chain with a golden heart.  
  
Kiera on the other hand was dressed fairly casually. She wore baggy jeans and a white tank top that fitted her toned body well. Her hair resembled that of a jar of honey being poured and was long; it bunched about her shoulders in a very feminine way. She appeared to be in her early twenties at the most, although her face seemed childlike and impish.  
  
Above the girls, loomed the giant ShinRa HQ, which happened to house the convention centre on its main floor. Stretched out in front of them was Neo-Midgar. Its streets were busy and its sidewalks were crowded but overall it was much cleaner and inviting than Ancient Midgar.  
  
"Hey, you never told me what made the Turks so famous!" Bayley suddenly shot at Kiera, her face contorted into confusion.  
  
As if expecting the question, Kiera hardly flinched. "I'll explain back at the hotel, ok?"  
  
"Alright," responded the red-haired girl, still gazing around at the huge city.  
  
At one time, sunlight was rare to the people of Midgar, and even rarer to the people of the slums who lived directly below the wealthy citizens. Due to the old ShinRa's mako reactors draining the Planet's life source, the plants around the city withered away and the ground dried and cracked.  
  
Although Ex-President, Rufus ShinRa, had met his demise upon the attack of Diamond WEAPON, President Reeve was inclined to keep the name "ShinRa" for reasons only known to him. With the loss of the president and the destruction of Ancient Midgar due to the Meteor incident, Reeve had been elected president unanimously. He had Neo-Midgar built from the rubble in less than 2 years, and it had continued to expand since then. Mako was no longer used for a source of power as Reeve had found new ways to provide electricity.  
  
"We're almost there," Kiera announced as they turned down another street. The sun was still blazing contently although it was about time for it to rest.  
  
After several minutes, the young woman stopped abruptly and turned towards a fancy looking building. "This is Neo-Midgar's finest, The Shiva Lounge," Kiera declared.  
  
"Ooh." Bayley gawked at the entrance before being grabbed by the hand and pulled through the double doors.  
  
The lobby had an ice theme, corresponding to its name, as Shiva was the Ice Goddess of the Planet. The floor seemed to be made of smoothened ice crystals and a large, sky blue, plush carpet was laid underneath a fancy set of two couches and a coffee table. Mounted on a pale blue wall, was a beautiful painting of Shiva herself.  
  
Kiera waved to the blonde receptionist and continued to the elevator where she punched in the button. The young woman leaned against the wall opposite the lift, beside Bayley. Impatiently, the yellow-eyed girl started to gaze around at her surroundings. A royal blue plush carpet was covering the floor directly in front of the elevator. She instantly felt a twinge of guilt as her well-worn combat boots were caked with dry mud and all sorts of other outdoor filthiness. Feeling rather out of place, she shifted her weight uncomfortably.  
  
Ding , the elevator's annoying bell sounded as it arrived. When Bayley had finally noticed, she found that Kiera was already waiting inside. Smiling sheepishly, she followed.  
  
Finally, the elevator reached the twenty-first floor. It gave another ding and let off the two excited girls. They walked down the hall, arriving at room 2105. Kiera brought out the keycard, slipped it into the slot and opened the door. Inside, the room was gorgeous. Ice blue, luxurious carpet adorned the floor and the walls sparkled with what looked to be little sapphires. The windows were tinted blue and the kitchenette's floors mimicked that of the lobby's.  
  
"You can come in y'know," Kiera invited upon seeing her companion staring, mouth open, in awe at the room. Blinking out of her daze, Bayley nodded and walked inside, letting the door close behind her.  
  
"I'm going to have a shower, so you can watch TV 'til I'm done. Then you can have one," Offered Kiera, before she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.  
  
Bayley nodded in response and seated herself upon the couch. She flicked on the TV and before the screen fully loaded up, she could tell it was coverage of the Turks' fundraiser by the sound. As the picture became clear, she saw a photo of the three Turks smiling at the camera; she felt her heart skip a beat.  
  
Suddenly, the question arose to her mind again, what did the Turks do to gain such popularity? She resolved at once to ask Kiera as soon as possible. She turned up the volume and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. This may be a high-class hotel, but can't they at least have comfy couches? Before she could continue wondering about this, the TV disrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Tonight, one lucky reporter from our very own station family will be spending dinner and the rest of this evening with the beloved Turks. We do hope Ms. Kiera Tangaard enjoys herself." The reporter announced.  
  
Bayley mused out loud to herself, "That's us."  
  
"And now to a message from the Turks," the reporter continued as the camera panned out to a smiling blonde haired girl: Elena.  
  
"Thank you everyone for all of your support! We'd also like to thank President Reeve-" The crowd roared with applause, interrupting her. She continued, not in the least bothered, "-for giving us this beautiful city! We hope you choose to follow our footsteps and donate to this very special cause!" The crowd erupted once again with applause and cheers.  
  
The camera zoomed out, showing the two male Turks on either side of Elena. All three were wearing their original blue suits; trademarks of the Turks. Reno's bright green eyes appeared slightly annoyed and he prodded her in the arm. "El' you talk too much, you should have let me do the speech."  
  
Rude nervously eyed the camera but Reno only shrugged and continued, "You did a pretty shitty job too."  
  
"Reno." Rude warned, his palm to his shaved forehead, unmistakably embarrassed.  
  
Shocked, Elena's blue eyes widened and she took a step back before darkening her gaze. "Reno!" She shrieked, "We're on camera! And in front of hundreds of people!"  
  
"Bad enough that I have to stay for this stupid thing," Reno mumbled to himself. He walked off the stage towards the back door, brushing a few stray strands of long red hair out of his face.  
  
Elena growled, "Reno!" Her tone changed apologetically, "sorry about that, he's not usually like this." Her normally light face was flushed bright red. "How could he do this to us?" The ashamed woman quietly whispered to Rude.  
  
"." The young woman expected this quiet response, so naturally she nodded and gave a weak smile to the audience. She stepped off the stage followed by her friend, before the camera panned back to the reporter on- scene.  
  
"Ah, it seems that our friends are having a bit of trouble. We have no info on this right now, but we will keep you posted." The screen faded out to black, before going to a commercial. Bayley instinctively muted it, settling back and waiting for the coverage to return.  
  
As a commercial for Costa del Sol appeared, Kiera opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel toga. "Nice!" Bayley smirked, pointing at the second towel. It was once wrapped around the former's head, and was now slipping off.  
  
In response, Kiera stuck her tongue out and walked carefully to the separate bedroom. Before shutting the door, she poked her head out, "it's all yours."  
  
The teen grinned and flicked off the TV. As she arrived at the bathroom, she turned around and closed the door. Upon hearing the satisfying click of the lock, she proceeded to begin her shower. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
"What was that all about?" Elena screeched at Reno once they were away from the general public. Fuming with anger, she jabbed him in the chest with her finger; her blue eyes seemed like they were on fire. "You. Are. So. Stupid!"  
  
Reno plainly shrugged and started to leave, only to be pulled back by a tight grip on his shoulder. "Oh, you're not going anywhere , Mister," she growled, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"El' please, you're making a bigger scene than Reno did," Rude pleaded, finally saying something.  
  
Defeated, she dropped her hold on Reno and hung her head. Before leaving, Reno eyed her. "Besides El', the people love this stuff!" He grinned and pushed open the back door.  
  
"How immature." Elena muttered, her face still hot and red. In an attempt to comfort her, Rude placed his hand gently upon her shoulder.  
  
"El'." He whispered softly.  
  
She looked up at him, eyes welling up with tears. "How could he do this to me!?" She wailed, throwing her small body against Rude, crying into his chest.  
  
Quite taken aback, a shocked look came to his face, but it was soon conquered by a gentle one. He hesitantly put his arms around her and reassured her. "Reno, you idiot," he whispered mainly to himself rather than to anyone else. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
"Hope she's not crying again," Reno muttered to himself. "Girls are so strange; I wonder how anyone can understand them." As his near-glowing green eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed many women staring at him, but quickly look away, embarrassed, when he looked back at them.  
  
Due to the heat, Reno rolled up his jacket and wrinkled dress shirt sleeves unevenly. "God, we really need different suits for the summer," he mused as he continued towards the front of New ShinRa. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked rather relaxed as he sauntered down the street.  
  
"I wonder how that stupid dinner crap is gonna go. I bet we're gonna be stuck with some old, boring hag for hours. Man, being famous ain't easy." He sighed to himself.  
  
Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the events that happened only moments before, in the convention centre. A slight feeling of guilt bubbled its way throughout his body and he shivered to rid himself of it. "Shit, I wonder why she gets so offended?" He asked himself aloud.  
  
As he arrived at the double door entrance to the Shiva Lounge, he began to contemplate why Reeve had insisted that they stay in a hotel. They did, of course, have their own apartments. I guess it's just 'cause they want us to feel special or something , he mused. Or maybe it's because our apartments are way the hell on the other side of Midgar. He shrugged and pushed open the doors, allowing himself inside.  
  
The receptionist at the desk nearly melted when Reno waved at her, but she managed to compose herself before she fell off her chair. She managed a smile and looked down, pretending to examine papers as her face started flushing.  
  
Reno, with an ever-inflating ego, only noticed the attention he received from strangers on the street. Most girls, who actually knew him, immediately avoided the man, annoyed by his cocky attitude. The few that didn't were scared away by him continuously hitting on them. Of course Reno hardly noticed those girls. The only negative attention he actually perceived was from Elena, as it was a next to constant thing.  
  
Casually, he strolled to the elevator, pushed the button and leaned against the wall. "Why the hell do these goddamn elevators take so friggin' long?" He impatiently asked to no one in particular.  
  
As the elevator arrived, he plunged his hands into his pockets and walked inside. He waited a moment, wondering why the elevator wasn't moving. "Aw shit," he muttered, realizing that he hadn't pushed the button for his floor. He gave the button labeled "21" a light prod and leaned against the wall again.  
  
A full two minutes later, the elevator halted abruptly and Reno lazily walked out and continued to his room - 2108. He sighed and pulled his keycard out from his pocket. He roughly pushed it into the slot and opened the door.  
  
The room was clean, surprisingly. It was evident that the cleaning lady had come during the time he was out. "She's wasting her time." he sniggered, knowing that by this time tomorrow his room would be unbelievably messy again, despite his half-assed attempts at staying clean.  
  
He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the couch. "What the hell?" Reno glowered upon noticing that the remote was nowhere to be seen. Too lazy to be bothered to look for it, he lied down. Instantly, his eyelids began to droop and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------  
Bayley stepped out of the shower, smiling to herself. "It feels nice to be clean again," she sighed. Wrapping a towel around herself, she admired her cleanliness one last time before stepping out into the main room.  
  
"You can wear whatever you want," Kiera offered, now wearing a black knee length skirt and a light pink tube top.  
  
Nodding, Bayley continued to the separate bedroom and closed the door. She searched in the closet for something suitable and pulled out a light blue halter dress. The front came low enough to show cleavage, but it wasn't too revealing. The bottom of the dress just reached knee length but it slanted upwards to about mid-thigh. She wrapped a towel around her forehead and hair, and opened the door.  
  
"Wow, that dress looks great on you," Kiera smiled warmly at her friend before continuing to brush out her honey hair.  
  
Bayley giggled and replied, "Thanks." She sat down beside Kiera and roughly threw the towel off her head towards the bathroom. Kiera handed her the brush and went to do her makeup in the bathroom.  
  
The brush fought maliciously with the tangled hair, but quickly became victorious. Soon, the mop of tangles was lying flat, defeated. When Kiera returned from the bathroom, her makeup was done beautifully. A creamy white shadow accented the bright green of her eyes and a pink gloss coated her pouty lips. Taking Kiera's place in the bathroom, Bayley heard a familiar voice talking to itself as it went past their door.  
  
She chose a dark grey shadow and smudged it onto her eyelids, giving them a rather smoky feel. Picking up the mascara, she lightly ran it through her lashes. She batted her eyes seducingly at the mirror, giggled, and then applied some lip-gloss.  
  
"Are you almost done in there? We should probably leave soon, we're supposed to be there in 40 minutes, and we still have to convince security to let you in." Kiera called from the main room, her voice sounded eager but not too pushy.  
  
A muffled squeak came from the bathroom and Kiera looked quizzically towards the door. It opened and out stepped her companion, looking stunning. "Whoa. You look a lot different. S'amazing."  
  
"T-thanks," Bayley blushed as she calmly walked out of the bathroom. "Should I just wear my boots?"  
  
Kiera shook her head, "Look at them! They're filthy! You can borrow some of mine as well. We want you looking your best for Reno, don't we?" She smiled and winked an ethereal green eye.  
  
"Okay!" The girl smiled as her friend went into the closet beside the door. She returned with two pairs of shoes; high-heeled sandals and knee- high boots.  
  
Kiera tossed the sandals to Bayley and bent down to put her own boots on. "You can wear those, I hope they fit."  
  
The girl caught the sandals with ease and also leaned down to fasten them to her feet. "They do."  
  
"Good. Shall we go?" Kiera suggested, tying the last bow on her boot. She straightened up and opened the door, ushering Bayley out.  
  
As they started to walk down the hall, they heard yelling behind them, something that vaguely sounded like Reno . They both paused, but upon hearing a door slam and someone walking behind them. They continued, oblivious to who was walking behind them. Perhaps it was a good thing that they didn't know at first who it was; perhaps it was the mysterious force stopping the girls from looking back, but of course they soon found out. 


	2. Assasination?

-x- Chapter 2 -x-  
  
"That was weird," Bayley muttered silently to herself before speaking louder to her companion. "Didn't that voice seem familiar, Ki?"  
  
"Mm." Kiera agreed, nodding her head as they walked down the corridor from their hotel room. The sun was setting and the lights in the hallways provided little illumination, although there were little gems embedded in the walls reflecting the low light, making them appear as stars twinkling in the night.  
  
Bayley hesitated, not used to the shoes she was wearing. She knelt down to adjust the straps, wobbled and fell onto her bottom. "Ah!" She exclaimed and her initially shocked face quickly converted to an amused one. "Sorry, I'm just ah- a bit clumsy," she laughed but then proceeded to fiddle with her shoes. I wonder who that person was, do you suppose it wa-  
  
"I wonder who that person was?" Kiera mused out loud as she watched her friend fix her shoes. She glanced down at her own, black boots to check if they were in need of adjustment.  
  
Is there an echo in here? Weird. Bayley straightened up now that she was confident that her sandals were fixed. "Weird, I was just thinking that too."  
  
The women resumed their pace and footsteps reappeared behind them, but this time there seemed to be more of them. Bayley narrowed her expressive brown eyes, still wondering where she had heard the voice before.  
  
"Watch out!" Kiera yelled blatantly, grabbing Bayley's tanned arm before she walked face first into the wall beside the elevator.  
  
Eyes coming into focus, Bayley glanced about herself, realizing what had almost happened. "Whoa, okay," she mumbled reassuringly to herself, as if to prove that she was indeed there.  
  
The door on the elevator whooshed open, revealing the interior. The usual ding sounded and the girls casually stepped inside. The hard metal floor was a massive change from the soft, lush carpet of the rest of the hotel.  
  
"Ah, hey wait for us!" A different, yet familiar, voice called out as the owner and her companion came around the corner. The former was a gorgeous blonde wearing a white, silk mini-dress and white lace-up boots. The latter was a tall, dark skinned man who wore a fancy, however plain, black suit and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes.  
  
Bayley and Kiera suppressed gasps, most certainly looking like chocobos caught in headlights. The older girl snapped into action almost at once and mashed the open button.  
  
"Oh.Bahamut," Bayley moaned uneasily as the two latecomers, Elena and Rude of the Turks, stepped in. Almost instantly the scent of a distinctly sweet and fruity perfume rose to the noses of those already inside. The smell would have been all right in small doses, Bayley assumed, but as is, it was next to nauseating. Her nose immediately scrunched slightly, an unconscious reaction to anything it didn't like.  
  
Looking concerned, Elena put a hand adorned with bright red nail polish to her slender hip. "Whoa, is she alright?"  
  
"Uh.yea. She's just a bit nervous I guess," Kiera spoke calmly, keeping her cool, but she too was nervous. In fact, she could feel the little beads of sweat appearing on her forehead and the perfume wasn't making her feel any better.  
  
Bayley nodded her head respectfully and mumbled a meek, "Hi." She couldn't look up to face the two Turks, so she found herself content to just stare at the floor. She felt her stomach turn as the perfume started to become more and more unbearable.  
  
"I'm Kiera Tangaard, the reporter sharing the evening with you three," Kiera smiled, also bowing her head politely. She plastered a fake smile on her face, attempting to hide her disgust at the perfume.  
  
Bayley brushed a lock of deep purple out of her eyes and looked upwards, a faint pink glow on her cheeks, a reminiscent of her blushing fit. "I'm Bayley. I'm coming with Kiera."  
  
"It's a pleasure. As you must know, I'm Elena and this is Rude," Elena held out her hand and shook each of the girls' respectively. Rude only nodded his head, remaining silent. "He doesn't talk much."  
  
"." The tall man agreed, staying true to Elena's aforementioned statement. He remained stoic as ever, standing apart -or rather as apart as he could be in an elevator- from the three girls, watching them quietly.  
  
The elevator's chime rang out, signaling the arrival at the lobby floor. The odd group made their way out of the elevator when Elena stopped abruptly. "Do you think we should wait for him?"  
  
"I suppose so," Rude replied, his voice still on the quiet side. He stopped walking as well and turned to face the blonde.  
  
Bayley coughed quietly, attempting to draw attention to herself. "If you don't mind me asking, who is he ?"  
  
Elena started to laugh pleasantly, "Reno, of course!"  
  
"Oh." The young girl felt her face redden and heat up. Instantly, she dropped her head and stared at the floor. Oh man, if I'm gonna act like this when he's around. She groaned inwardly, letting out a quiet sigh to the others.  
  
Kiera looked longingly at the waiting couches on the far side of the lobby. Elena caught her line of sight and agreed out loud, "Let's go sit down and wait. Okay?"  
  
Complying with Elena's suggestion, the group meandered over to the midnight blue, lavish couches to await Reno's arrival. Bayley and Kiera took one couch while the two Turks shared the opposing couch. The former sat rather shyly, not accustomed to being in the presence of such celebrities, lest they find her strange or annoying. Casually, the young reporter leaned back brushing her beautiful hair out of her face.  
  
"So, what's taking him so long?" Kiera asked of Reno, wondering where he was; why wasn't she looking at him right now?  
  
Elena rolled her eyes, "I'm no sure why he's being so slow ! All I did was send him back to get changed; he looked so messy!"  
  
The two other girls burst out laughing at this comment, although it was very much anticipated. Elena joined in and reluctantly Rude did as well.  
  
Suddenly, a rather cynical voice appeared above the joyful group. "What are you two retards laughing about?" It asked in an almost annoyed tone of voice.  
  
"A-ah Reno!" Elena exclaimed. "Hi! We were just talking about you!"  
  
That was probably the wrong thing to say. Kiera chuckled to herself, staying silent.  
  
Bayley sat silently, nearly shaking with nervousness, three words kept repeating in her head, oh my Shiva, oh my Shiva.  
  
"Oh were you, really," Reno smirked, "who are these two kids?"  
  
Kiera smiled cheerily, showing off her perfectly white teeth. "Hey! I'm no kid.I'm Kiera Tangaard, the reporter-"  
  
"Yah, yah spending the night with us, I know," Reno cut off the young girl. In quick response, Elena playfully pushed him..  
  
"I'm Bayley.comin' with Kiera," the youngest girl introduced herself, trying to take hold of her shaking. She looked up, a gentle smile played on her lips, it was struggled at first, but completely genuine.  
  
Reno shifted his weight and flicked a stray strand of shocking red hair out of his face. "Well, now that the introductions have been done, can we go eat?"  
  
Elena rolled her eyes and stood up, motioning for the girls to join her. Rude followed her example, stood up and walked to Reno in silence.  
  
"Does he ever talk?" Kiera asked quietly to Elena, an obvious joke- like timbre in her voice. The latter started to attempt to suppress a laugh, but failed.  
  
Breaking her own silence, Bayley also let out a small laugh, she looked up and caught the eyes of Kiera who gave her a strange look. The latter slowed down, reaching Bayley's pace. "What's wrong? Why are you so quiet all of the sudden?" Kiera asked with genuine care.  
  
"Uh. Guess I'm just a bit shy with y'know Reno being around and all," Bayley muttered and Kiera put her arm around her friend's shoulders consolingly.  
  
"Cheer up kiddo, he's nothing you should be scared of," Elena had dropped back and heard their short conversation. Not being able to keep her mouth shut, she had added her two cents.  
  
Bayley smiled at the friendliness of the two girls comforting her. "Thanks guys, I'll try and be more like myself!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up.  
  
"Good!" Both Kiera and Elena exclaimed simultaneously. The three girls noticed their slacking speed and hurried up to catch up with Reno and Rude.  
  
The men hadn't even noticed the girls' disappearance. Reno was too busy grumbling about one thing or another, and Rude was simply ignoring him. The women finally caught up, and Reno asked out loud, "Where are we goin' for dinner anyways?"  
  
"The Choco Jockey Bar and Grill," Elena answered mechanically to which Bayley gave a small laugh and scratched the back of her head. Smiling, Kiera playfully shoved her nearly embarrassed friend.  
  
Bayley calmed herself, put on a straight face and looked up at Elena. "Bar?" She asked while a playful smile danced upon her lips.  
  
"Um, yeah," Elena replied her words rather drawn out. She held a confused look on her face and her head was cocked to the side. Bayley and Kiera both looked at each other and started to laugh. "Wh-what? I think I missed something," The older women declared dejectedly.  
  
Bayley motioned for Elena to lean over a bit and put her mouth right near the older girl's ear. "I'm only 16," she whispered, stifling a chuckle.  
  
"WHAT!?" Elena shrieked, nearly tripping over her own feet. She then lowered her voice to a whisper, "I thought you were at least 19."  
  
The teen smiled, she was often mistaken for being older than she was, but never mistaken for 19. "Thanks, I guess," she giggled. Her face became a quiet red and she glanced down, to hide her discomfiture.  
  
Without warning, the men in front halted and Bayley, who had been looking down did not notice. She walked straight into Reno and upon realizing this; she leapt back, lost her balance and fell onto her butt. Immediately, her face returned to the deep red colour of moments beforehand and she muttered a quiet apology.  
  
"Learn how to walk, kid," Reno chastised angrily, turning around to face the fallen girl. Upon noticing her embarrassment and upset face, he rolled his eyes and held out his hand. Bemused, she cocked her head, wondering what he wanted. "Are you stupid?" He asked loudly and grabbed her hand. She let out a small squeak and allowed him to help her up.  
  
The blushing girl averted her gaze downwards and again mumbled a small apology. "S-sorry Mr. Reno.sir."  
  
Reno merely shrugged, turned around and continued walking. Elena and Kiera patted their friend's back comfortingly while Rude continued on with the other man.  
  
"Are you okay?" Kiera asked while fixing Bayley's hair gently; it had become rather disheveled in the accident. Bayley nodded slowly and attempted to flush the redness and heat from her face. "It's alright, sweetie," she continued softly, "stuff like this happens to everyone."  
  
Elena nodded and mustered a smile. "Don't worry, okay? We're gonna have a good night; don't let Reno's asshole attitude bother you okay?"  
  
"Thanks again guys.I-I just don't know what's coming over me. I can't figure out why I'm being so painfully shy!" Bayley exclaimed, taking hold of herself. She straightened out her dress and rubbed underneath her eyes, removing the smudged eyeliner.  
  
The older girls smiled and the younger of the two happened to catch a glance of Reno and Rude about half a block away from them already. "Uhm, guys can we save this for later? Those assholes didn't wait for us, so we gotta go catch up."  
  
"Hurry up!" Reno yelled forcefully, waving his arms. "Stupid girls, they're so slow," Reno muttered to Rude, his companion shrugged and leaned against the wall on an item shop.  
  
The girls hurriedly rushed to the men's side. "Sorry," the three muttered within seconds of each other.  
  
"Yah, yah, whatever, let's go eat," Reno retorted and started to walk away. Rude followed quickly, attempting to speak with his friend.  
  
Rude caught up quite easily as his 6'1" form could move faster than his friend's 5'11". He placed a hand upon Reno's shoulder to slow him down. "Why must you be such a jerk all the time?"  
  
"A-ah, what do you mean?" Reno was caught off guard by this question and it showed in the wavering of his voice.  
  
Rude only glared, unseen though, as his eyes were indeed still covered by his sunglasses. "You know perfectly well what I mean. Even I could tell that, that girl was about to cry when you yelled at her."  
  
"That's her problem then, not mine. She's a little crybaby," Reno insisted, not even bothering to look at his companion.  
  
Raising his arm again, the taller man clamped his hand upon the redhead's shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn around. "This is exactly what I mean. You're nothing but a selfish, egotistical little bastard."  
  
"At least I have some social skills. I don't just say, '.' to every fucking thing said to me," Reno snarled angrily; he felt his face beginning to heat up.  
  
Rude merely looked past him, replying with the usual, "." so accustomed to himself.  
  
"Oh don't do this to me Rude, just say something, you got me all pissed off and have nothing to show for it! Gods, you're a fucking asshole," the angry Reno flamed, his wrists shaking.  
  
Although the angry men didn't know at the time, the girls had finally caught up, but had been listening to at least half of the conversation. Angrily, Elena stepped up to them, her hands on her hips and the usual, 'you are so stupid' look on her face.  
  
"How could you two be so insensitive towards each other? For Shiva's sake, you two are supposed to be best friends! Best friends don't call each other names and yell at each other! You two are the most immature jerks I have ever seen, I've never seen you act so desperately, Rude! What is going on? Reno, did you do this? ." Elena screamed, her eyes flaring and her mouth going a mile a minute.  
  
Reno looked at Rude; his face was calm and cool. "Is she still talking?" He asked, somewhat annoyed. His companion nodded; it appeared Elena hadn't even noticed they weren't listening and was just talking to hear her own voice.  
  
"Elena. Shut up," Both Reno and Rude interjected, cutting her rant short. She looked at them, dumbfounded.  
  
Reno shrugged, "You talk too much."  
  
Dejected, Elena glanced up at them once more with near-tearful eyes before turning away and rejoining Bayley and Kiera. "T-they always do this to me! I'm just trying to help." She moaned sadly.  
  
"S'alright, 'El," Kiera gently reassured, "they're men, what do you expect?" The upset woman smiled and uttered a small laugh, sounding more like a hiccup than anything.  
  
"Would you hurry up already?" Reno shouted, agitated. He let out a huff and stood, facing the girls, his arms crossed. "I'm hungry!"  
  
Whispering amongst themselves incoherently, the girls ambled towards Reno and Rude. As they came close, the men started to walk as well, with them.  
  
"How much further is it, Elena?" Bayley asked. She winced, her feet were throbbing and her legs were sore. She was frightened that with the low light of the street lamps, she'd be sure to injure herself in the next few minutes.  
  
Blue orbs glanced up to the oncoming street sign and then focused onto Bayley. "About 5 minutes," Elena answered, her little heels clicking on the pavement of the sidewalk.  
  
"Alrighty!" Bayley exclaimed happily. Her stomach growled somewhat loudly and she winced, but laughed it off with the other girls.  
  
The odd group continued their procession towards their goal with the occasional burst of chatter from the girls. When they arrived at the entrance, Elena looked up and grimaced. She looked skeptically at Reno, her eyebrows raised.  
  
"Honestly, Reno, you actually wanted to come to this dump?" She asked doubtfully. She let out an exasperated sigh and looked at the other girls.  
  
Reno shrugged, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Cheap beer," he announced, giving a small smile.  
  
"What are we ever to do with you? Next time, remind me not to let you do any kind of planning again!" Elena exclaimed, thoroughly peeved. "I refuse to eat here! There's a nice restaurant down the street a bit more, it's at the top of an office building."  
  
Glancing at her hesitantly, the cynical man responded slyly. "Booze?"  
  
"We're not going out to get drunk, Reno . We're going to have a good time okay?" Elena's voice dropped down to nearly a snarl by the end of her sentence. The man in question merely rolled his eyes; a sign of his tentative agreement.  
  
With that minor disagreement, the group set off again, continuing down the street. As they neared the tall office building, they caught sight of the revolving restaurant on the topmost floor. The outside of it was reflecting the starlight, giving it an eerie, yet beautiful, glow.  
  
"Shall we?" Elena invited, smiling happily. Due to the building being across the street, she looked both ways and started to, followed by her companions, Reno, Bayley, Kiera and then Rude taking up the behind.  
  
They arrived at the double, glass, sliding doors and peered inside, attempting to figure out how to open them. Reno, however, was not amongst them; he was busy looking for the opening mechanism. He found the button, pushed it and the doors slid open in an instant.  
  
"Thanks, Reno," they each muttered as they stepped one by one into the all-glass building before them. The group proceeded down the stairs to the high-speed elevator, which would bring them to the restaurant. Bayley who had arrived first, pressed the button and nearly immediately, the doors opened and a chime resonated. They filed inside and pressed the button marked, 'Restaurant."  
  
Instantly, the elevator began to climb upwards, slowly gaining speed. After they cleared the lobby, the whole of Midgar was laid out before them as they looked through the glass walls.  
  
"Whoa," Bayley gasped, stepping backwards into Kiera. "This is cool, but kinda scary at the same time!"  
  
Kiera nodded and smiled, patting her younger friend's shoulder reassuringly. "Yea, Midgar's beautiful at night!" She gushed, her face lit up with joy. "I'm excited."  
  
"I'm hungry," Reno stated impatiently. "What's taking so long?"  
  
Elena glanced at him, a bothered look upon her face. "What are you talking about? This elevator is at least 2 times the speed of any other in Midgar, save for the new ShinRa HQ."  
  
"That's nice," he replied, and before anyone could retort his comment, the elevator slid to a stop and the doors opened. "Finally."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Elena stepped off the elevator, followed by the girls, then the remainder of the group. A smartly dressed maître d' approached them, asking them how many were to be seated.  
  
"5, please," was the response, courtesy of Elena. The maître d' nodded and escorted them to a table beside the window. Indeed, as Kiera had stated beforehand, Midgar was very beautiful by night. Lights of all sizes and colour dappled the city and beyond. The Aeris River, formed by the destruction of the archaic Midgar and named by Reeve after the last Cetra, mirrored the sky, shimmering with the star and moonlight.  
  
They sat; Kiera, Bayley and Elena on one side, Reno and Rude sat facing Bayley and Kiera on the other. Three red candles adorned the white clad table, floating in water. It almost gave a romantic feel, despite the 3:2 of women to men. All three of them looked absolutely ravishing in the candlelight, even the men, as well, looked good.  
  
"Would you like anything to drink?" A female waiter asked in a pleasant voice as she arrived at their table. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun of wavy hair with a few small strands dangling in front.  
  
The group all nodded at once, Reno being the first to speak up. "Sake," he ordered and grabbed hastily at the menu set in front of him.  
  
"What he said," Rude requested passively, also picking up his menu.  
  
Elena furrowed her brow, not being able to decide what to order. "Um, I'll just have a water for now please," she decided; it would be better to wait and think it over first.  
  
"Um, oh I don't know. Is sake good? I'll take a sake!" Kiera announced, grinning happily. I hope this stuff is good.never had it before.  
  
Bayley sighed; she'd never been to a fancy restaurant before. The closest she'd been to was a small café near her old home in Costa del Sol. Therefore; her knowledge on food, and even drinks, was limited. "I really don't know." she muttered, looking to each of her companions respectively.  
  
"Get her.a shot of tequila, Cactuar, please," Reno interrupted swiftly. He hadn't taken into account the young girl's age, most likely because he was not informed of it. The girl in question let out a small gasp and shook her head, a worried look upon her face.  
  
The waitress cocked her head, "well what is she having, then?"  
  
"Just get her sake please," Elena spoke icily as she glared daggers at Reno. Her small fists were clenching and unclenching, nails nearly breaking the skin. She would, had she been sitting closer to him, have slapped Reno quite squarely across his face. Evidently seeing the look in her face, Rude took care of her wishes for her: he smacked Reno roughly on his red haired head.  
  
Wincing, Reno glared upwards at his friend. "Yeesh, what was that for? I didn't do anything this time!" He very nearly shouted.  
  
Elena continued her glare until it was interrupted by the waitress' return. She had placed a glass of cold water in front of the angry woman and proceeded to hand out the remaining glasses of sake. "T-thanks," she muttered, surprised.  
  
"Would you like to order now?" The waitress asked, ready to grab the pad of paper to write down their selections.  
  
Elena shook her head, no. "I'm not quite ready yet, a few more minutes please?" She requested while the various people around her nodded their heads in unison.  
  
"Alright," the waitress complied as she began to walk away, back towards the kitchen.  
  
Bayley ran a couple fingers through her hair and gazed around. "Hey, I was wondering. What made you guys famous all of a sudden? Last I heard, everyone was still frightened to death of you, or at least, they hated you." She asked again, as Kiera hadn't answered before.  
  
"Well, after Meteor came and started to attack, we helped evacuate the city," Elena started; she realized neither Reno nor Rude would want to explain. "Thankfully there weren't too many casualties and after the destruction of Meteor, we helped Reeve come to office in ShinRa and help in the rebuilding of Midgar. Since there was no more need for Turks, Reeve made us his personal bodyguards, as well as kind of a secret police."  
  
The other two Turks nodded in agreement as she spoke. "Then of course, with my looks, we became really popula-" Reno stopped abruptly when Elena's familiar glower came to her face, her azure eyes seemed to be aflame. "Psh, you're just jealous," he smirked, trying to further her anger.  
  
Kiera and Bayley looked at each other uneasily, hoping he wasn't really as egotistical as he was acting. Rude caught their eyes and gave them a reassuring smile. The girls smiled back and figured that Rude meant Reno was only in one of those moods, where he just had to show off.  
  
"Um, so what do-" Kiera started, trying to think of something to talk about.  
  
Strangely, before the girl could finish, a small rumble seemed to begin. Each just tossed it off as a figment of their imagination until it became larger and more pronounced. Reno's empty glass of sake trembled off the edge of the table, shattering on the ground. Only then, did they realize that something was coming, something big.  
  
"What in Bahamut's name is going on?" Kiera shrieked, quickly grabbing hold of Bayley's arm. "I'm scared," she whimpered softly, trembling.  
  
Reno chanced a glance out the window, and what he saw was not at all what was expected. A giant, dragon-like face was staring in with beady yellow eyes. Deep blue scales coated the being, and it seemed to be standing in the water of the River Aeris.  
  
"Le-Leviathan?" He stammered, falling backwards out of his chair. "What the hell is it doing here!?"  
  
Elena was already backing away from the gargantuan face, pulling Rude and the two girls with her. "Umm, Reno.let's get out of here," she mumbled, terrified, her voice shaking.  
  
"Agreed," Reno readily accepted and hopped back onto his feet. He stumbled towards the rest of the group; hand on his nightstick.  
  
They made their way towards the elevator, the only means of going down to ground level. At the exact moment they reached the doors, the giant brute of a snake decided to attack. A giant stream of water came crashing through the middle of the elevator shaft, from the summon's gaping mouth. The rotating restaurant and top portion of the building came crashing down into the river. Thankfully it had traveled such a far distance from the impact of the attack that it had not fallen onto the inhabited city.  
  
Trapped. The airtight windows of the restaurant were in no way going to let the patrons free. Thankfully, water had not seeped in yet, or the electrical fuses in the shaft would have fried everyone. But how to get out? They all wondered in turn, and before long, Elena had an idea.  
  
"Reno, you still have that Bahamut summon materia?" She asked strongly, convinced her idea would prove useful.  
  
The man in question pulled out his nightstick and examined the small gems placed in the slots of the handle. "Y.yes, I do. What for?" He asked, confused.  
  
"Give it to me," she commanded. Not having any reason not to, he handed it to her and she promptly held it in front of her. "Bahamut, come help us escape this mess!" She yelled loudly, invoking the magical attributes of the materia.  
  
Merely moments after the woman summoned the King of Dragons, he appeared outside the glass of the building. He peered inside questioningly, confused as to what he was ordered to do.  
  
"Get us out of here you big, dumb dragon!" She shrieked, jumping up and down. Upon realizing that she had indeed just insulted the most powerful god, she promptly apologized.  
  
The colossal being only rolled his eyes and slashed open the glass. Water poured in strongly, soon filling the entire thing. He placed his tail inside, motioning for everyone to grab hold. Grasping his scales, the entire of the restaurant's customers and staff became immune to the electricity swimming throughout the water. The dragon's scales proved impervious to the elements, thus creating a stronger aura of defense for the giant god.  
  
He flapped his large, bat-like and yet scaled, wings, and swam remarkably fast to the surface of the water so as to not drown his baggage. He swung his tail up, out of the water, allowing the people to breath. Once out, they climbed from his tail to his back, with the Turks and their two companions upon his head.  
  
"To Midgar, please, Bahamut," Elena instructed loudly. "We must let these poor people go back to their homes. Us, however, it was no doubt that something summoned Leviathan for us."  
  
The dragon merely complied and swam his way back to the shores to the river. He beached himself and allowed the wet, disgruntled and generally frightened people off. They all wandered off, some quickly, some slowly, but the dragon didn't stay long. He began to walk upon the bottom of the lake, as it was still rather shallow.  
  
"What are we to do?" Kiera asked, shivering and dripping with water. "Do you actually think someone sent that beast to attack us ? Or rather, you guys?"  
  
Bayley moved closer to her friend, also shivering. She huddled up against her, trying to stay warm. "I.I'm scared."  
  
"II think so, I mean, the big ugly brute looked right into our window and I could swear, its beady eyes looked like they were laughing at me, especially when I fell backwards," Reno contributed, sneering at the fact that he, the 'Great Reno,' had been clumsy and had fallen.  
  
Rude stayed silent throughout the conversation, taking account of everything that was being said. "It is cold," he stated suddenly.  
  
" You're cold! Look at us!" Elena yelled, angrily, but she stopped herself. "I mean, look at the way the girls are dressed."  
  
Rude rolled his eyes, unseen, and replied, "I was concerned for you three, not myself."  
  
"Oh." Elena looked downwards, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."  
  
Bahamut suddenly grunted; they were nearing the opposite shore. "What are we to do now, mistress?" The beast spoke with a fairly gruff voice, almost like a growl or bark.  
  
"Y-you.can talk!?" The 'mistress' squealed after a moment's hesitation, allowing for shock. "A-ah, um."  
  
The dragon laughed quietly to himself, "of course I can, we all can. And by we, I mean your summons, your so-called 'gods.'"  
  
"Oh.my." Elena nearly fainted, still in shock. The other four people weren't much help either; all were still stunned.  
  
Reno was the first to speak up. "Well, the closest town is Kalm, but if whatever was after us, decides to look for us, that's gonna be the first place they'll look," he stated, his usual air of confidence evidently left with the air in the sunken restaurant.  
  
"This is true," Kiera agreed solemnly. She let out another shiver and moved closer to the youngest girl. "Are we going to stay with Bahamut or continue without him?"  
  
Elena shrugged, "I doubt we need him to stay with us, the monsters around here aren't exactly god-like."  
  
The great King lowered his head, allowing the riders to jump off. He bid them farewell before spreading his wings and disappearing into the night sky, beyond the mountain ranges.  
  
"Isn't there a small chocobos ranch a bit farther than Kalm?" Bayley questioned, holding herself tightly.  
  
Running his fingers through his hair, Reno looked on. "Yes, but it would take us all night to reach there, wouldn't it? Why don't we just stay in Kalm tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow morning?"  
  
"What if something's after us? Leviathan wouldn't just randomly destroy a huge building!" Elena fought back, although she too was tired, she didn't want to risk anything.  
  
The redhead scoffed at her fearful tone. "It wouldn't be anything we can't handle; I have my nightstick, Rude's got his fists, and you have your materia and grenades. I'm sure these two girls could hold their own as well."  
  
"I-I'm not so sure about that." Bayley sighed quietly, feeling weak and vulnerable.  
  
Elena took two steps forward and turned around. "Well we better get going anyways. We can figure out where we're going as we walk so we don't waste time."  
  
"Good plan," the brunette cheerily spoke, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Shall we?" She started walking as well, speedily catching up to the blonde.  
  
Following the older girls' example, the other three dashed to catch up, but slowed down upon reaching their gait. Still wet, the group of five was extremely cold and the night winds weren't proving helpful.  
  
"I can't take it anymore! I'm going to drop dead of hypothermia any moment!" Bayley suddenly screamed, her entire body numbing from the cold. Her ankles gave out and she fell forward onto her hands and knees. "These cursed shoes will be the death of me if the freezing air doesn't get to me first!" She wailed, curling up on her side in a fetal position.  
  
A silence occurred; even the winds seemed to die down before it was broken by unchecked laughter from all. Kiera nearly toppled over herself from laughing so hard, practically knocking Elena over in the process. Even Rude emitted a small chuckle at the young girl's helplessness.  
  
"What's so funny.?" She asked, a shifty glare was set upon her face. Of course, she didn't look very menacing while curled up in the grass, but at least she tried.  
  
Shaking her head, still laughing Kiera extended her hand. "You're a strange one, Bayley." She helped her up and ruffled her hair. "You can manage walking to Kalm, it's only about.what?"  
  
"Half an hour's walk," Elena finished for the other woman. "So get up lazy kid, and start walkin'!"  
  
Grumbling, Bayley tore off the painful shoes and started walking barefoot, the sandals in her hands. She was soon followed by the two women and behind them, the men walked.  
  
After much whining, complaining and general grievance, they arrived at the outskirts of the sleepy town of Kalm. It was late, no lights were on anywhere inside of the town. They continued onwards until they reached the inn; the lights were off, as well.  
  
Reno began to open the door, but Elena stopped him. "What! Why knock? No one is in there, we'll just go in and pay him on the way out tomorrow." With that suggestion, she brushed her off and opened the door. He walked inside followed by his companions and found the innkeeper asleep at his desk.  
  
"Let's just leave him the money right here with a note, or something," Elena suggested tiredly.  
  
Reno shrugged, "Do whatever you want I'm going to bed."  
  
"Wait, how many beds are there upstairs?" The blonde asked tentatively. "Some of us may have to share beds."  
  
Again, Reno shrugged and continued up the stairs. The youngest one trudged groggily up the stairs after him. After a moment's thought, Elena decided to pay the next morning and her, Kiera and Rude also made their way up.  
  
As they each arrived at the top floor, the group saw two double beds, meaning that one would have to sleep on the couch or floor. Bayley and Reno had already claimed their separate beds; the former had removed the damp dress and changed into a bathrobe from the linen closet and was fast asleep. The latter's wrinkled shirt and jacket was strewn on the ground lazily.  
  
"I am not sharing a bed with Reno!" Elena growled, her voice was as quiet as possible, but still shrill. Rude merely shrugged and approached the couch, hesitantly sitting down. "Why can't he sleep on the couch?"  
  
Kiera frowned, "Because he got he got here before we did." She rolled her eyes and hurriedly changed into another bathrobe before lying down beside Bayley, her tired eyes aching to close.  
  
"Damnit! That horny bastard might." Elena started before receiving a strange look from Rude.  
  
He smirked, "I doubt you'll have to worry, Elena."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean!?" She shrieked, obviously angered.  
  
Lying down, he took off his black jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. "Shh, they're sleeping," he responded, a grin still played on his lips.  
  
She scowled, hating to lose battles against him. Though it was inevitable; he always found some way to win, either by staying silent, or by topic change. Once his mind was set on finishing the argument, it was over, no matter what the other person said.  
  
"But where am I going to sleep?" She wondered to herself silently. "Surely not the floor.with Reno? Of course not! Umm." She paused, thinking. "Rude." she whispered quietly.  
  
He looked up at her quizzically.  
  
"Can I um." she started, but faltered off when she couldn't think of what to say. He spared her the embarrassment and nodded. He sat up, allowing her ample room to get comfortable.  
  
She settled down, slouched in the far corner, head against the backing of the couch. Rude couldn't help but smile at her delicate form, tenderly breathing with sleep. He leaned back, watching her for a bit longer before falling asleep himself.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Will Rude and Elena get it on in the night? Do Reno and Rude have a little secret? Who is out to get our heroes?! Tune in next.chapter.to find out!  
  
Mwahaha, I finally finished this. I had the hugest writer's block for the longest time, I'm sorry! CC me please! :D 


	3. The Beginning of Insanity

AN: Bloody and gory scenes ahoy! Not for the weak of stomach ^_~  
  
-x- Chapter 3 -x-  
  
A stream of warm light shone throughout the sleepy town of Kalm, waking up the patrons of the only inn in town. A blonde was laying, asleep, on the couch, curled up in the arms of a larger, coloured man.  
  
"Ooh, look at the two lovers," snickered a very cynical voice from across the room, waking the blonde with a start. Flustered, she threw a pillow at Reno, the contemptuous redhead who had made the prior remark. Her movement awoke Rude, and it was merely a moment before he noticed Elena in his arms.  
  
The commotion had awoken the two younger girls and they were now staring wide-eyed at the couple on the couch. "Elena!" Kiera yelled, shocked.  
  
"We didn't do anything! I woke up like this!" Elena was sounding worried now, her voice was shaking.  
  
Reno raised an eyebrow, "Right." His voice just dripped with sarcasm.  
  
Bayley coughed loudly to get everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt this little lovers' spat here, but shouldn't we get a move on?"  
  
"Yeah." Elena agreed still somewhat shakily and stood up, locking herself in the bathroom to escape from the ridicule of her friends.  
  
The youngest girl laughed out loud at Elena's embarrassment and dangled her feet off the side of the bed. "Where do you suppose we should head to next?"  
  
"Isn't there a chocobo ranch nearby?" Kiera questioned, her head tilted to the side.  
  
The others nodded in agreement, but Reno looked up and spoke before anyone else. "So, tell me again. Why aren't we going back to Midgar?"  
  
"Umm, because something sent a giant, evil water snake thing to kill us!" Kiera retorted, almost laughing at Reno's stupidity.  
  
A scrunch of red eyebrows and a look of disbelief were all that the man could offer, before thinking about a comeback. "Well, what if it was just a terrorist attack on Midgar? Why would someone want to kill us?"  
  
"You tell me," Kiera merely shrugged and glanced out the window. "Umm, what the fuck?" She stood up and walked to the sill.  
  
"Huh?" The other three people in the room crowded around the window along with Kiera and watched as a small dark shadow moved closer and closer to the small town.  
  
Bayley quickly slipped away from the group and knocked on the bathroom door. "Eh, Elena, something's not right. You should pro'lly hurry up and get out here."  
  
"What? Why?" Came the muffled answer from behind the wooden door.  
  
The other girl shifted her weight uneasily and groaned. "We don't know, just get out here."  
  
The door opened quickly and the short blonde stepped out looking confused. "Okay, honestly what is it?" Reno frowned and motioned for her to come to the window. She obliged and peered outside at the moving shadow.  
  
"What the. What is that?"  
  
"That's the problem, we don't know," Kiera replied. "I don't think we want to know either. Let's get out of here."  
  
The youngest girl then realized that both her and the reporter still had on their clothes. "Oh shit, Ki, we gotta change." With that, the two girls quickly grabbed their now-dry clothes, headed to the bathroom and quickly changed into their dresses.  
  
"I think we're going to need to wear something else if we're going to continue on traveling the countryside like this." Kiera frowned. "It's not exactly comfortable to be running around in fancy clothes all day."  
  
"And these shoes suck." Bayley added, smiling.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Reno walked past them, opening the door. "Whatever, let's go."  
  
"Agreed." The two younger girls sang at the same time, smiling.  
  
The group started vacating the room quickly and when Elena approached the innkeeper, she handed him a sack of gil.  
  
"If anyone asks, we weren't here okay?" Her fierce blue eyes pierced the old man's, making him nearly quiver from the intensity.  
  
"Sure marm, mums the word. No one'll hear nuthin' 'bout you youngin's. Jest don't getcha selves inta too much trouble ya hear?" The innkeeper replied, smiling. He quickly inspected the bag of gil and seemed pleased with the amount. "Thank ye kindly miss."  
  
She nodded and walked out the door, quickly followed by the rest of her companions. Stopping, she looked around, wondering which way to go.  
  
"Err, guys? I'm kind of lost." She sighed in defeat, hanging her head.  
  
Kiera laughed and patted her on the back. "Oh man, you're hilarious. It's this way." She started walking northwards, out of town, opposite from the way they arrived.  
  
"You're sure this is the right way?" Elena questioned, somewhat skeptical.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"'Kay."  
  
"I'm tired." Bayley muttered quietly. Upon receiving a cold glare from Reno, she closed her mouth and glanced down, kicking a rock.  
  
Before long, they reached the outskirts of town and far off in the distance, they could just make out the small outline of the chocobo ranch.  
  
"Well, it is pretty far away, eh?" Kiera mused, staring out into the endless fields separating Kalm from the ranch.  
  
Elena emitted a small laugh, evidently meaning she agreed. "Then we better get going, it'll be late before we get there unless we start now."  
  
The odd group continued on their journey, stepping out into the boundless Sargazui Fields. The long, green grass reached up and tickled the girls' half bare legs as they trudged through the unkempt grasslands. They had no choice, there wasn't any real paths to follow, so the group made due with what they had, the grass.  
  
"Do you sometimes feel. as if we're being watched?" Bayley asked suddenly, addressing no one in particular. She kept her eyes downcast, almost feeling as if her question was childish, or silly even.  
  
Kiera was the first to answer, "Yeah, sometimes. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because it feels like someone is following us.watching us," the girl replied, slowly looking behind herself uneasily.  
  
Elena glanced back towards the younger girls. "Well, we did see the big dark shadow before, maybe it's giving you the creeps?" She asked, attempting to be helpful.  
  
"This is true, however, I can actually sense something's presence. really close to us." The young girl sounded frightened, her breath was coming in short gasps and her yellow eyes seemed slightly shinier than before. "I feel powerless and vulnerable. I don't even have a weapon besides my fists, and we all know those are good for nothing." She managed to push out a laugh, however weak.  
  
"Well, you have us!" Reno smirked, pulling out his small handgun. "And of course we have my nice little friend here," he added, patting his nightstick rather affectionately.  
  
Elena smiled, patting the girl on the shoulder. "But of course, nothing will happen. It's probably just your nerves kicking in; I bet that shadow wasn't anything to be afraid of. Just our imaginations, even."  
  
"I hope you're right." Bayley sighed, focusing on a small rock on the ground. "It's just a bit creepy y'know? I mean. I went from being some girl with no home, to meeting Kiera and you, the Turks. Then we get attacked by a giant snake and get chased out of Midgar. Then there's that big shadow nearby. I just don't know what to think anymore."  
  
"Fate." Rude spoke for the first time all day. "It's fate. What else can explain all this insanity?"  
  
Elena shook her head slowly. "I don't know, I just don't know."  
  
"Let's hurry up and get to that ranch, I don't feel like anymore surprises today." Reno muttered. He was in a bad mood again. Why did everything have to happen to him ? Not only was he angry now, he was getting tired and he wanted to go home. Walking around for hours on end was not his cup of tea.  
  
After hours of walking, the sun was blazing and the group was getting hot and cranky. "Maybe we should stop for a bit and have lunch?" Elena suggested; she was sick of everyone complaining.  
  
"You know, your idea might actually work if we had food!" Reno roared angrily, his eyes flaring.  
  
The girl pushed out an embarrassed smile and gave a slight laugh. "Right."  
  
Bayley winced as her stomach growled loudly, "I guess we're all in need of some food. and that grass doesn't look too tasty."  
  
"Stop talking about food, you're making me hungry," Reno snarled, glowering angrily.  
  
Elena shot him a glare, "Well maybe if you all stopped complaining for once!"  
  
"Eh, you guys, chill for a sec. If we keep fighting like this, we aren't going to get anywhere! So let's just find some shade and sit for a bit." Kiera suddenly butted in, she couldn't handle the complaining either, but the arguing was worse.  
  
Grumbling, the two looked away and continued walking, noses up. "There ain't any shade, we're in grasslands, idiot."  
  
Kiera merely rolled her eyes and continued walking without a second thought.  
  
"Can we please just sit down for a little bit? My feet are umm." Bayley glanced down at her dirty, not to mention bloody, feet. She had ditched the shoes long ago, and now the rocks were cutting up her feet.  
  
Sighing, Elena replied, "I agree." Luckily, there was a somewhat clean rock nearby that Elena hastily claimed as her own. It was large enough to accommodate the other two girls, but the men would have to make due with the ground. Little did they know, worrying about where they were to sit was the least of their oncoming troubles.  
  
Bayley sighed happily, hopping onto the rock, eager to rest her aching feet. "Ooh! It's all warm!" She giggled, resting her hand down to steady herself. Suddenly, she cocked her head to the side, eyebrows furrowed, intently listening. "I swear I hear something."  
  
"Some thing ? Thank you deary. I suppose," a smooth and distinctly ladylike voice drawled from seemingly nowhere. "I'm more of a someone, love, remember that."  
  
Shocked and somewhat scared, Bayley tumbled from the rock, looking around herself, eyes darting this way and that.  
  
"Oh, did I scare you, sweety?" The voice drawled again, quieter this time. By now, everyone was either staring at Bayley or looking around themselves for where the voice was coming from.  
  
Quickly, the three Ex-Turks took out their guns, pointing them accusingly in different directions. Kiera swiftly grabbed Bayley and pulled her back to the rock. "We can't do anything, so we have to stay back here and to make sure we're not in the way."  
  
"Looking for something.?" the voice appeared behind them, mocking them. The Turks whipped around, pointing their pistols at the owner of the voice. But what they saw was not at all what they expected.  
  
In front of them was the most gruesome, armoured chocobo they had ever seen. It was covered with metal from the top of its head, across its chest and right down to the metal claws on its own talons. Flanked on either side were two men, both armoured. One carried an oversized glaive, and the other had no weapon besides the large claws on his hands. The sunlight glared off of their black armour, nearly blinding the three in front of them. They were large, larger than an average human, and they seemed beastly, not humanly beastly, but like animals, they stood, fighting back the urges to mutilate their prey.  
  
"Hello, my friends, my dear Turks," the voice sounded from above, and they each looked up and were frightened by what they saw.  
  
A woman stood on the saddle of the war chocobo wearing next to nothing. The bustier and thigh-high boots she wore seemed to be made of the same material as her minion's armour. She had a garter belt, which attached to the top of the sharp-heeled boot. She had a single hand placed on her hip, but it was not a hand shown, it was an excessively large black-clawed glove, similar to the man below her. The claws had to have been at least five inches long and were extremely sharp at the point. Her other hand wore an identical glove and was down by her side.  
  
Bright blue eyes flickered with interest at the three people in front of her and she brought up a claw to flick a white strand of hair out of her tanned face. A strange metal contraption lay on her dark skinned forehead and a piece of dark blue, opaque glass covered her right eye. Grinning to herself, she jumped off the chocobo and did a complete flip. Two giant wings, one midnight black and feathered like a raven's, and one entirely mechanical, sprouting from her back suspended her in air for a moment, before she landed, grinning upwards.  
  
Elena gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth and stepping backwards. "What." she hesitated, "are you?"  
  
"More of a. who if you ask me. And my name is Shikou, I'd advise you to remember it," the woman stated strongly as she stood up, smiling pleasantly.  
  
"Well," Elena paused unsurely, " Shikou , what do you want with us?"  
  
With a laugh, Shikou snatched a long, leather, barbed whip from the saddle of her chocobo and snapped it threateningly, causing the Turks to hop backwards to avoid being hit.  
  
The two men accompanying the strange woman seemed to take the whip crack as a signal, and they came forward, brandishing their weapons.  
  
Trying a shot, Reno aimed at the glaive-bearer's chest, but to no avail, the shot merely bounced off the odd armour. His brow furrowed in confusion, but he hadn't enough time to complete his thinking as the large clawed man leapt at him, knocking the scrawny man to the ground and pinning his shoulders to the ground.  
  
"Get offa me!" Reno growled, snatching at his belt to withdraw his trusty nightstick. When he felt his hand grasp the cool, half rubber handle of his favourite weapon, he gripped and yanked it out of its holster. With a quick finger, he adjusted the power settings and felt the surge of power surge through it. Before his attacker could respond, he stabbed it into an unprotected section of the man's neck.  
  
A scream of agony, and a convulsion of the body, and the man was on the ground, skin charred and smoking. Smiling smugly to himself, Reno stood up and dusted himself off, glancing around to dispose of any other fiends.  
  
Something touched him. Gently. His head whipped around, followed by the rest of his body, nearly as quick. "Wh-" he started to say, but a slender black claw pushed itself against his lips, nearly hard enough to draw blood. His green eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on his nightstick.  
  
"Love, you don't want to be doing that," the silky, sweet voice of Shikou almost calmed the man, if it weren't for the painful scream sounding from behind him. She brought the claw down across his lips, slightly slicing the bottom and a drip of blood oozed out and fell to the ground.  
  
"You. you freakin' whore!" He shouted angrily, backing away from the sultry woman. He brought his nightstick up defensively; his knuckles were white.  
  
Elena stared hard at the grinning man in front of her. She was certainly glad he was wearing a mask; she could smell his intoxicating breath from her place on the ground. She had conceived a large gash on her cheek and it was bleeding freely, but that didn't stop her from fighting, although she was hardly in any position to. The man on top of her held her down with his glaive in one hand and her face in the other. She spat at him and struggled and squirmed, but nothing she did could free her from the lecherous man, who had already managed to rip parts of her dress off.  
  
"Get away from her, you disgusting filth!" Kiera's voice screamed as she leapt off the top of the rock. She hit the man and sent him sprawling onto the grass; his glaive fell uselessly to the side, off the young woman. "That's what you get for messing with my friends!" She sounded victorious, but she was not expecting for when he recovered quickly and tackled her down.  
  
Unfortunately for the women, Rude was having troubles of his own. The man that Reno had shocked had recuperated quicker than was expected and had attacked the closest being, the young girl hidden behind the rock alone. Upon hearing her meek cry for help, Rude had quickly come to her rescue, beating him off of her with his bare fists.  
  
Bayley had half stumbled, half crawled away from Rude and her attacker, unknowingly bumping into Kiera's leg and finding the forgotten glaive on the ground. A quick glance down from Kiera to acknowledge her existence, and the young girl found herself with the glaive in her hand, standing up fairly cockily.  
  
"This isn't the place for someone your age!" Kiera hissed, attempting to protect her young friend, but her warnings had no affect on the steadfast girl. She glared grimly, taking off, back towards Rude.  
  
Rude heard the girl's footsteps and turned his head to look, but upon losing concentration on his enemy, he felt a blow to his head, the black claw had left bloody marks trailing across his face. He fell.  
  
"What. Do. You. WANT!?" Bayley screamed, swinging the glaive gracefully in a large arc. The blade glanced off of the armour, but cut upwards, slicing into the same unprotected area that was already once scalded. The body went limp, without so much as a sound and crumpled to the ground, half on Rude's leg. She frowned and tried to pull the blade out, shaking it and pulling it. But, she realized that she had just killed someone. Even if it was in self-defense, she had killed someone! She gasped and fell backwards, landing on her bottom, hands covering her mouth. At this time, Rude managed to push the dead body off of himself and look at the horrified girl.  
  
"Thanks." He muttered a quiet apology before walking swiftly towards the girls, who were still struggling against the one, now weaponless, fiend.  
  
Issuing a grunt of exasperation, Reno fought back diligently, parrying his enemy's blows of her whip with his slightly battered nightstick. Once, his concentration had slipped and he was stung by the poisonous barb at the tip of the whip, but he didn't think much of it and continued fighting, harder than ever.  
  
Why don't people come help me? Reno muttered silently, cursing his luck but continuing to stoically hold back the seductive woman. So far, she had not scored one blow on him, but likewise, he was just as unsuccessful.  
  
"You're not too bad, love, what's your name?" Shikou placed a hand on her hip and dropped the other to her side, still clutching the whip. She smiled ever so sweetly, but the two wings spread out behind her, and the dangerous looking whip in her clawed hand made her look none too innocent.  
  
He stood cockily, smiling with that little egotistical smile of his. "I'm sure you'd like to know too, wouldn't you?" He emitted a small laugh, but was totally unprepared for when she snapped her whip at his nightstick. The tip wrapped around quickly and with one light tug, the weapon flew out of his hands and onto the ground in front of Shikou. "Aw that wasn't fair." He frowned, eyebrows tensed.  
  
"Of course not," the snappy reply made his defeat that much more unbearable. He glared, rolling up his sleeves, ready to fight unarmed.  
  
"RENO, WATCH OUT!" a young girl's voice screamed and the whir of a sharp blade sliced through the air towards the scantily clad adversary. Ducking at the last moment, the top of a wooden shaft grazed Reno's head, but he hit the ground unscathed. Unfortunately for Shikou, the attack was unexpected and the glaive's blade sliced through her cheek, across to the other side, shattering the bottom of her eyepiece. Blood spattering everywhere, she screamed and shook a glove off of her hand, bringing it up to her bleeding face.  
  
Bayley stumbled backwards, ripping the blade out of the woman's face, and the force and weight of it brought her to the ground again. Astonished, Reno glanced at her, open eyed, gaping mouthed.  
  
"You. you!" Shikou spat, her voice high-pitched and shrill. She pointed a long, clawed finger at the young girl menacingly. "You will pay for that." Her voice contorted from the sultry, sexy one that of a few moments ago to a piercing whiny scream, to a hate-filled, low snarl.  
  
Getting over her surprise at herself, Bayley smiled sweetly and winked. This only enraged her more, and to add to her anger, the eyepiece started sparking dangerously. Her skin was starting to look pale, from lack of blood, Bayley assumed.  
  
"Ah. I, if I weren't in such a good mood, I'd have finished you off! But for now, you can live. Until we meet again.loves," she smiled at Reno, but shot Bayley an unforgiving glare, that bore straight into her deep, brown eyes.  
  
Upon finding both her minions dead, or close to it, in the former glaive- bearer's case, she fled, leaping gracefully onto her chocobo's back. The bird took off towards the mountains, and in a split-second, they had disappeared.  
  
Bayley stood up shakily and offered Reno her hand. He grabbed it and stood up with her help. He walked to where the woman had stood and snatched up his still on, buzzing nightstick. He flicked off the switch and holstered it before walking silently towards where the women and Rude were, by the rock. Bayley staggered after him, head hanging and dragging her murderous weapon behind her. When she arrived in front of the group she collapsed, dropping the glaive beside her.  
  
Rushing to her side, Kiera dropped to her knees and grinned happily. "Wow, you did it!" She put her arms gently around the girl in a quick embrace. After that, she sat back, beside her and sighed. "I think we really deserve a break now."  
  
"Thanks." Rude muttered to Bayley, ruffling her hair gently before standing up. He was looking off in the distance, and he could see the rough outline of the chocobo ranch.  
  
Following his gaze, Elena understood what he wanted and she nodded. "We're almost there, I suppose we could make it by nightfall if we tried." She mustered a smile, knowing that even the short distance they would have to cover would be painful for them all. They had each suffered some form of wound, except perhaps Bayley or Reno; they had only received a few minor bumps and bruises.  
  
Bayley rolled onto her back, eyes closed and hands still shaking a bit. Upon finding herself ready to move on, she hopped up and grabbed the glaive. "I'm taking this with me, I don't want to have to sit around and wait to be rescued again, if we get caught off guard by something."  
  
Everyone nodded in respect of her decision besides Kiera. "What about me? I need to be able to fight too!"  
  
"She dropped her glove back there," Reno shrugged, looking over to where he fought the pseudo-dominatrix. "It looks pretty sharp."  
  
Grinning, the girl ran over to the crumpled black heap and lifted the mechanical claws. She slipped her hand inside and held it up in front of her. "I like it!" She squealed, smiling happily. Hastily, she made her way back over, the heavy glove weighed down her right arm; it swung lazily along with her gait.  
  
"Careful with those, they're sharp," Elena reprimanded sharply, watching the girl prance back to them.  
  
"Well, now it's all okay! Both me and Bayley can fight if we need to, so let's go!" With an enormous grin plastered on her face, she set off towards the Ranch, humming softly to herself.  
  
Finding the glaive to heavy to carry, Bayley merely dragged it along behind her as she walked after Kiera, leaving a deep wound in the soil. Elena quickly joined her, walking with a slight limp, followed by the two men. Reno was grumbling about something as always and Rude just listened, always listened.  
  
After nearly two hours of weary traveling, whining, complaining and all around fighting, the group managed to reach the beaten path leading inside the ranch. It had changed since the last time she was here, Elena noted, but she wasn't sure exactly how.  
  
"HIIII!!!! I'm MAGGIE!!!" A scruffy looking girl with short brown hair bounded up to the group. They exchanged nervous glances, and she continued, "omygod did you want a chocobo!?! Gerty here, she wants someone to ride her! She does, I swear, she told me this morning that she was getting like. restless."  
  
Bayley took a small step backwards, slightly frightened of the disheveled girl standing in front of her. The girl was wearing what appeared to be overalls, but no one could be too sure. She was covered head to bare toe in some strange unknown substance and she had a large, slightly insane smile on her face.  
  
"Umm, where is Choco Bill?" Elena questioned unsurely, shifting her weight uncomfortably.  
  
The little girl smirked evilly and started laughing. "Oh! Haha! HIM! I haxxored his ass!"  
  
"Pwned." Reno muttered, staring at the dirty girl. ((Me: =^__^=))  
  
Elena did a double take and looked at Reno, wide eyed. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't ask," Rude cautioned, his arms crossed.  
  
"Omygod, so stop talking about this now k? Rent a chocobo!! RENT GERTY!" Maggie suddenly screamed. "Oh, and you can call me Rel if you want."  
  
The chocobo in question glanced over at the group of people before wincing and walking over to its companions. "I wonder if she'll ever stop calling me Gerty and trying to get me to be rented," 'Gerty' sighed, lowering her head to grab a Pahsana green.  
  
The other chocobos surrounding her laughed when one spoke up. "You know, Kirri, you ought to just bite her, that's what the last 'Gerty' did." With the mention of the last 'Gerty,' they all turned their heads towards the corner where the barn met the fence. There, a sickly, pale chocobo lay; feathers had fallen off in large patches and the feeble chocobo looked next to death. None of the others ever found out what had happened to the original 'Gerty' and none of them really wanted to know.  
  
"I don't want to turn out like he did," Kirri stated, turning away from the near dead chocobo. "Oh shit, here they come. I guess Rel convinced them to rent me," she sighed. "Hope I see you guys again."  
  
The rest of the oversized birds warbled their goodbyes and 'good luck's while Kirri, or rather Gerty, strode away from the people, towards the fence. She really didn't feel like getting forced into anything right then.  
  
"GERTY COME HERE NOW K???" Maggie screamed, waving her arms around. "Omygod, she doesn't like to listen to me y'know. Jeez. GERTY COME HERE!!"  
  
"Holy crap, man, can you stop screaming?" Reno growled, readying his fists to hit her.  
  
The chocobo in the distance sighed and realized that no matter what she did, Maggie was going to continue screaming and yelling at her. Although the other birds were getting a laugh out of it, it wasn't a nice feeling having this psycho girl threatening you.  
  
"C'mere Gerty!! LET THESE NICE PEOPLE RIDE YOU OKAY BE NICE NOW." Maggie screamed, running towards the large bird, her bare feet squelching in the mud. Suddenly, the girl tripped, falling face first and spraying 'Gerty' with wet mud. "OOPS. I fell." She blinked and stood up easily, attempting to dust herself off, but to no avail. "Sorry Gerty!" She leapt onto the frightened chocobo full force, clinging with both hands and legs.  
  
Elena looked at insane child and wondered if she should try and stop her, but decided that it would be best to leave her alone. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm kind of tired. Plus we still have to figure out where we're going from here."  
  
"Why don't we just go to Junon? It's not that far, and of course Reeve's got his guys everywhere there." Reno suggested, shrugging. In the background, Maggie was still struggling with the frightened chocobo, clinging on as hard as she could. Her screams, mangled with the chocobo's cries for help weren't a very pleasant sound.  
  
"Sounds good," Kiera shrugged, glancing uneasily at the insane girl. "But, guys, I really think we should stop her, and anyways, it's like. late, shouldn't we stop for tonight?"  
  
"I agree!" Bayley grinned, for the first time since before the fight, happy to be able to rest her aching body.  
  
"Fine," Reno muttered, rolling his eyes. Shiva, this place is a piece of shit, I hope it ain't nearly as bad inside.He muttered silently.  
  
Elena glanced at the young girl again and called out her name, when she didn't reply, she shouted it again louder, frowning. Maggie instantly dropped her hold of the chocobo and skipped merrily back towards Elena, waving her arms around.  
  
"Whatcha want perty lady?" She asked, looking innocently upwards at Elena, hands behind her back.  
  
"Well, we were wondering if we could have a place to stay tonight, as it's starting to get late." Elena explained uneasily.  
  
The girl's face lit up, "you mean, you guys wanna stay the night? Aw yeah! Sleepover, sleepover!" She started to dance around, singing about having a big sleepover party when Elena grabbed hold of her shoulders and halted her. She emitted a giggle, "So you wanna come inside then huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Came the curt reply.  
  
"Okey dokey!" Maggie turned around and started walking importantly towards the small house located beside the barn. She stopped and looked back. "Come on guys!"  
  
The group again exchanged glances, but followed her, preparing themselves for the horror that would be the residence of this insane child. Elena arrived at the door first, which Maggie was holding open for her and ushering her in.  
  
Clothes, newspapers and toys were strewn carelessly everywhere. On the floor, on the bed, on the shelves and even on the ceiling. One could not step anywhere without stepping on something other than the carpet. It was hard to tell if there even was carpet.  
  
"There's only two beds in here! So you guys'll havta share!" Maggie grinned, jumping onto her own bed. "Who wants to sleep with me!?"  
  
Elena laughed uncomfortably and ran to the other bed. "I'll uh, I'll have this bed! Hey Kiera, Bayley? Wanna share a bed with me?" She looked at them, persuading them silently to hurry. They complied and sat beside her on the bed, laughing quietly at Reno and Rude.  
  
"No way, man, I am not sharing a bed with. that," he scoffed, hands on his hips. "This place is gross, I'm going to the stables, I hope it smells better out there." He snapped, storming out of the dirty house.  
  
"Well, that leaves you Rude. what are you gonna do?" Elena asked, concerned.  
  
"." he replied, glancing around. "I'll stay up, on watch."  
  
Elena sighed, "okay, your choice."  
  
"Shouldn't we shower or some-" Bayley started to suggest; she was feeling rather dirty from the traveling and especially the fight.  
  
"-Shower? What's that? I don't think I have one!" Maggie started laughing so hard that tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "It's great to be dirty!"  
  
Elena twitched ever so slightly and sighed again. "Do you have anything we can wear? Our clothes are kind of. torn and dirty."  
  
"Wear whatever ya want!" Maggie squealed, tossing off her dirty clothes. She sat on her bed in her skivvies and searched the floor with her eyes for suitable pajamas.  
  
".Put your boobs away wouldja?" Kiera frowned, quickly turning her gaze down to the floor, also searching for something to wear.  
  
The girl giggled, "isn't my bra cute!?" Her remark received no comments, but many odd, disgruntled looks.  
  
Quickly, Bayley hopped down and snatched a pair of surprisingly clean, navy blue sweatpants and a hot pink tank top from the mess. She hopped into the bathroom and changed hastily, thankful to be free from her wet, dirty, not to mention torn dress. When she came back out, she saw that both Kiera and Elena had already changed; the former was wearing her tube top still, but had put on a pair of baggy, grey shorts. The latter had found a nice, black, baggy sweatshirt and a pair of pink pajama bottoms.  
  
She collapsed on the bed, beside Kiera and almost instantly fell asleep. Kiera and Elena stayed up for some time, quietly discussing things such as the remaining Turks, Maggie and going to Junon.  
  
The hay was not comfortable, like the beds, for poor Reno. His rash choice had come with a consequence; it was cold and itchy and he wasn't about to go cuddle up to some dumb bird. He sighed and looked around blindly in the dark for something, a blanket maybe, to keep him warm. That was when the sounds started. At first they were small and unnoticed, but a strange, unidentifiable sound kept nagging at him. Suddenly, the stifled cry of a chocobo rang out, but was silenced almost instantly. His curiosity piqued his interest and he withdrew his nightstick stealthily.  
  
He stood up and crept out to the enclosed pasture. Immediately, the movement-sensitive light flickered on and he saw the horribly mutilated body of the former 'Gerty.' Her body was swimming in a pool of blood, however her head was placed on a stake, beside the body, beak open, tongue out. Feathers were strewn about the corpse as if a ceremony of some sort had passed. There were many scratches surrounding the bird's body and its right wing was bent horribly out of place, showing evidence of a struggle, and apparently, the attacker had won.  
  
The other chocobos were horrified and in shock, standing at the far edge of the pasture in silence, staring wide-eyed at the sight in front of them. Even the sickly, old 'former Gerty' had made his way to join the others.  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
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Fin! I hope you guys like this chapter ;D I certainly do. R&R please? ^_^ 


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